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Hi, fintech fam! 💜

It's hard to believe September is almost here—where did the summer go?

This season has been nothing short of extraordinary, marked by women boldly embracing their authenticity and audacity.

In today's newsletter, I'm stepping away from my usual reporting to share a column on how women shatter expectations in fintech and beyond.

Let's dive in.

P.S. If you want to network, learn, and build a community with trailblazing women in fintech, join us on Sept. 9.

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IMPACT

Defying Expectations: How Women Are Redefining Success in Fintech and Beyond

This summer, as Sallie Krawcheck asked in her What the Elle newsletter, “Where have you seen women defy expectations?”

The answer is everywhere. 

From pop culture moments to the Olympic stage, and even in the political arena with Vice President Kamala Harris's historic nomination for the U.S. presidency, women have been breaking barriers and rewriting narratives.

But let’s not stop there. 

In the business world, particularly in finance, technology, and media, women defy expectations in remarkable ways. 

Take fintech founders Anam Lakhani and Eve Halimi, for example.

As early-stage entrepreneurs in a tech-heavy sector, they’ve prioritized content creation. They find joy in sharing their journeys and connecting with their audience.

By boldly showing their faces and telling their stories, they’ve built the Alinea Invest platform, which now boasts 550,000+ downloads, all thanks to their savvy content marketing strategy.

Then there’s Morgan Young, founder and CEO of That LinkedIn Girl. At just 21, Morgan has leveraged the power of LinkedIn and personal branding to unlock countless career opportunities.

Her story is one of strategic networking and authentic self-presentation, which has opened doors that many only dream of.

But Morgan didn’t go viral overnight—she went consistently micro-viral, earning her LinkedIn Top Voice badge at 8,000 followers before growing her audience to 60,000.  

Ume Habiba, another rising star, has done much the same.

Featured in Business Insider, Ume is a software engineer who has used her presence on LinkedIn and Instagram to land internships at prestigious companies like JP Morgan, Microsoft, and Estée Lauder—all by age 22.

Given her background in software engineering, Ume’s achievements are particularly noteworthy.

While her technical skills are top-notch, what truly sets her apart is her ability to stand out in a crowded market through the strength of her personal brand, particularly her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

This is a common theme among women defying expectations today—Supreet Kaur is another example. 

She’s landed a dream role at Microsoft in the AI field and navigated complex immigration and visa challenges, all while building a personal brand that’s as impressive as her technical skills.

These women are demonstrating that the power of personal branding isn’t just about landing a job; it’s about taking control of your narrative. 

They’re showing us that you can create opportunities that were once out of reach by owning your story. 

Whether in finance, technology, fintech or media, women are stepping into their authentic selves and shaping the future on their terms.

We see echoes of this in pop culture, too. Look at Charli XCX and her creation of the Brat phenomenon, which underscores the importance of authenticity and female friendships in personal branding.

The same spirit was alive at the Paris Olympics, where female athletes supported one another, whether they won gold, silver, or bronze.

Sallie Krawcheck herself is a shining example of the power of personal branding.

With over 3 million LinkedIn followers and over 370,000 newsletter subscribers, she’s built a community that fuels her business growth at Ellevest and keeps her deeply connected to the cultural currents shaping fintech. 

By leveraging her platform, Sallie has made Ellevest not just a financial company but a movement that is culturally relevant and attuned to the needs of modern women (read: her ICP).

Her authentic approach to sharing her story, combined with a relentless focus on diversity and inclusion, has positioned Ellevest at the forefront of fintech, proving that fintech can—and should—reflect the values of the people it serves.

Moreover, platforms like Ellevest and Alinea have used the power of content to maintain an ongoing dialogue with their users, allowing them to tap into what their audiences genuinely need and want. 

This communication has built trust and guided these companies in knowing which innovations to pursue next.

By listening to their communities, they’ve saved time, money, and energy—focusing on developments that matter most to their users. This user-centric approach has become a critical factor in their success, enabling them to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving industry.

I’m thrilled to bring together inspiring women like Morgan Young, Ume Habiba, Supreet Kaur, Anam Lakhani, Eve Halimi, and many others at the first-ever Fintech Is Femme Creator Summit. 

Every woman in our industry deserves to own her narrative and her future, and that’s what this summit is all about. 

I can’t wait to see you there and want to hear from you. How are you seeing women in our industry defy expectations? 

I want to hear your story, whether it’s someone you know—or you. Let’s continue the conversation that Sallie started. 

And I hope to see you on September 9 at our Summit!

_{WTF ELSE?}

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• I am speaking now, written by Theodora Lau

  $1M Raised By Black Fintech Founder For Accessible Financial Advice

• Visa & Revolut Partner to Launch Real-Time Cross-Border Payments 

• How Artificial Intelligence Will Reshape Retail Banking

• 41% of Banks Offer Embedded Finance Solutions Thanks To Fintech

• Fintech for Good: A Burgeoning Movement for Sustainability

• This African Fintech Is Giving Workers A Better Way To Send Money Home

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_{I WANT IT, I GOT IT}

• 📚 Today’s Read: Ume Habiba’s feature in Business Insider: “I interned at JP Morgan and Microsoft as a software engineer. This is my secret to landing offers.”

  👀 Today’s Watch: Jon Stewart's DNC Recap: Oprah Calls Out Cat Ladies, Dem Vibes & Kamala’s Moment | The Daily Show

• 🍣 Today’s Eats: I’m still in CDMX and enjoying my week working in another oasis — every night I get to try a new spot in my second favorite city. One of my latest eats is Canton Mexicali, a Chinese-Mexican fusion worth the extra spice.

_FINTUNES

🎵 Sabrina Carpenter - Taste

Much like Charli XCX and Lorde, Chappell Roan, and Olivia Rodrigo — Sabrina Carpenter and Jenna Ortega demonstrate the strength of collaboration over competition as powerhouse women leading the culture.

_{LET’S CONNECT}

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That’s all for now! See you Thursday!

Love,

Nicole 💜